Betty White Reunited With Tap Dancer Whose Career She Launched in the ’50s

Arthur Duncan, an 83-year-old tap dancer, was on the premiere of Steve Harvey’s Little Big Shots: Forever Young. The legendary dancer discussed how Betty White gave him his first job on TV, even though the color of his skin was a real problem for some people. Arthur said, “I was on the show, and they had some letters out of Mississippi and elsewhere that some of the stations would not carry the show if I was permitted to stay on there. Well, Betty wrote back and said, ‘Needless to say, we used Arthur Duncan every opportunity we could.'”

It was a big opportunity for Arthur, who turned it into a career in show business that has lasted more than 60 years. Arthur even became the first African-American regular on a variety show when he appeared on The Lawrence Welk Show for almost 20 years.

Betty’s surprise

So, needless to say, Arthur was pretty excited when Betty showed up onstage and surprised him. Arthur had seen everything he needed to see in life after reuniting with Betty. When Steve Harvey asked Arthur what it was like to see his old friend, he joked, “I’m ready to go now.” But before God could take him, Arthur wanted to catch up with Betty first. He told her, “I hope we have a chance to visit after this is over.” And without missing a beat, Betty replied, “Oh, I hope so. You never call. You never ask me out.”

Little Big Shots: Forever Young airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. Watch clips and full episodes of Little Big Shots for free on Yahoo View.